Chapter 43: Echoes in the Forest

The cold wind blew gently over the roofs of the Tang mansion, causing the lanterns to sway slightly. Tang Wei remained motionless in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the horizon, as if he could find answers among the distant shadows. His expression bore a subtle anxiety—ever since that day.

Eight days ago, while he was in his office with Liao Chen planning the next steps after leaving the city following the tournament, the protective jade bracelet he had given his daughter activated—and then quickly deactivated, like an illusion.

His heart nearly stopped.

Without hesitating, he suddenly rose, toppling the table beside him. But when he tried to sense the bracelet's location, all he found was a terrifying emptiness. Its presence had simply vanished from the world.

— "This can't be right..."

His first instinct was to immediately set out in search of it, yet when he sensed the bracelet once more, it prevented him from leaving. With a sigh of relief, he explained to his friend what had happened.

Still, doubt lingered. His mind ran through every possibility. Why was he unable to sense the bracelet's location at that moment? Was his daughter hurt now? He had known from the moment she began practicing that this day would come—that he would never truly be ready—but he also knew he could not and should not stop her from growing.

Tang Wei clenched his fists. Even though anxiety still gripped him, knowing that his daughter was safe was enough.

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In the Depths of the Forest

The sound of a heavy body falling echoed through the clearing. Warm blood dripped onto the grass, staining the dark forest floor. A spiritual buffalo lay motionless, its eyes glazed and its massive form stiffened by death.

Just a few steps away, Tang Chun Xi took deep, rapid breaths, her chest rising and falling quickly. In one hand she gripped the handle of her Lunar Umbrella—the cloud-patterned umbrella now dripping with blood.

She didn't know exactly how much time had passed since she was thrown into this place. After the initial shock of the battle, the explosion, and the desperate escape, the days had blended into a continuous routine of survival. With a skillful motion, she began processing the buffalo's meat, efficiently separating the useful parts. It was a mechanical task, something she had done countless times over the past days, yet her mind was far away.

As she worked, her memory returned to the exact moment when everything changed.

A few days ago…

The heat of the explosion that would soon consume her, the deafening roar filling her ears—and for a brief moment, she knew there was no escape.

But then, at the last instant, the Lunar Umbrella reacted. Sensing the danger, it activated its ability to save her; the umbrella opened above her head and, in the blink of an eye, she was sucked into the void. The sensation was overwhelming—a feeling that reminded her of the day she was born; the same sensation, yet lighter, as if her body were being torn apart and reassembled simultaneously.

When she came to herself, she was on her knees in the middle of the forest. Dizziness made her collapse forward, her stomach churning with nausea. At first, she couldn't grasp where she was; her mind and body were screaming for rest. The trees around her were dense, and while the scent of the vegetation was slightly different yet familiar, she noticed she had been teleported to an area nearer to regions of higher human activity in the forest.

But she knew she had to leave quickly or risk becoming an easy target. With her tired body, she took some healing and Qi pills.

'I need a place to recover and rest. That hollow in the tree looks good,' — she thought.

With some difficulty, she managed to stand and reach a nearby cedar hollow. Moving wearily, she approached and checked for any signs of danger or animals inside. Finding only leaves and branches, she used a dust-removal talisman. Afterward, she settled into the hollow—it was spacious enough for her to sit.

"This should suffice…" — she thought as she placed a defensive disc at the entrance. Once her safety was ensured, exhaustion dragged her mind into darkness and she fainted.

When she awoke with her stomach growling, night had already fallen. She took a Fasting Pill, and her condition began to stabilize. Her physical endurance was nearly restored, but her spiritual energy remained at only one-third—partly recovered through the pill and her automatic absorption of spiritual energy. Now in better shape, she reflected on what had happened.

She had nearly died.

It was the first time since being reborn in this world that she had truly felt the fragility of her existence.

'If it weren't for the Lunar Umbrella, I would have died in that explosion.'

The reality of that thought made her shudder. She wasn't ready to die.

Her father…

His face appeared in her mind. She could imagine the worry in his eyes, the way he would likely reprimand her for nearly dying. She couldn't die—not before finding answers about her origin, about her true place in this world. For just a moment, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

By a hair's breadth, she had escaped death. But to let herself be consumed by fear was not an option.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus on the battle just past. What could she have done differently?

'My speed at the beginning of the fight was enough to flee... but that's not who I am. I chose to stay and fight.'

Yes, she had chosen to fight. But was that choice the right one?

She recalled the moment she had lowered her guard. If only she had used an Iron Armor Protection talisman as soon as she activated her aura, perhaps she could have withstood the impact without relying on the umbrella's teleportation. Her father had given her those talismans before leaving.

And, as she had feared, using the aura emission had been extremely risky. That attack drained her energy and endurance brutally. With her body already exhausted from the battle against the snakes, she ended up virtually defenseless.

"This cannot happen again," — she concluded.

If she had done just one thing differently, she might have avoided that unnecessary risk.

'But at least these battles have completely stabilized my level.' — she thought—after all, battles like these also have their positives; her fourth level was now stable and solid. Normally, that would have taken weeks, but two fights with such intensity had accomplished it. That thought made her happy.

While she stored away the last pieces of buffalo meat, she sensed a presence approaching. Her muscles tensed immediately as she gripped the umbrella's handle firmly. There were light footsteps on the undergrowth—more than one. It wasn't an animal.

Quickly, she leaped onto a low branch, concealing her presence with the Lunar Umbrella's ability. Her hands were cold, but her breathing remained controlled.

In the distance, two voices whispered:

— "Are you sure you saw someone around here?"

— "Yes. The trail is fresh. A spiritual animal was killed recently. It must have been a cultivator."

Tang Chun Xi narrowed her eyes. Hunters. Her instincts told her they weren't mere beast hunters—they were looking for someone. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the energy around her. The spiritual flow from those men was not weak; they were at the sixth level of Body Tempering, perhaps even higher.

'Should I reveal myself? I need to know how long I was in a coma.'

She still wasn't sure if she could trust anyone there. Undecided, she resolved to follow them and leave if it proved safe—after all, she couldn't afford to miss the return date. Silently, she moved along the tree, making no sound.